IDP identification should be published immediately

(October 06, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Civil Monitoring Commission (CMC) demands the government to immediately publish the names, permanent addresses, NIC numbers and other personal details of the 150,000 IDPs it claims to have registered and the details of the 110,000 IDPs to whom it claims to have issued IDs at the camps of the internally displaced persons says the media communiqué issued by CMC convener and President of the Parliamentarians for Human Rights Mano Ganesan MP. The statement further says,

Our EU Ambassador at Brussels Ravinatha Ariyasinha in his explanation yesterday concerning the freedom of movement of the IDPs at the hearing held on Sri Lanka by the Human Rights Committee of the European Parliament chaired by Member of European Parliament Heidi Hautala had assured EU with above fine points. He has also stated that 54 international agencies, INGOs and NGOs are currently engaged in humanitarian work in the IDP camps.

We are pleased to note that the state has already completed registrations and issuance of IDs to large segments of the IDPs and subsequently assured the international community. But we, Sri Lankans from lawmakers to common man fail to understand why we are not acquainted to this information. We are also surprised to note that while 54 NGO are permitted to be at the assistance of the IDPs, the elected parliamentarians who are office bearers of the Parliamentarians for Human Rights of the Parliament of Sri Lanka are not permitted to be at the services of our people. It is very apparent now that government through the attorney general’s department blocks the parliamentarians from visiting the IDP camps from the time when we sought the intervention of the judiciary three months before.

We call upon the government to immediately publish the names, addresses and NIC numbers of the 150,000 IDPs it has collected through the registrations and also the identification details of the 110,000 IDPs to whom it has issued camp IDs. CMC is contacted by thousands of family members of the IDPs from within the country and abroad. We are prepared work with the government in launching a website so that not only the international community but most importantly millions of Sri Lankan Tamils living in the country and other countries would know the fates of their dear ones. The government should know that providing the IDP details to the family members in Sri Lanka and abroad is more vital than providing it to the international community.

-Sri Lanka Guardian